On Wednesday, 26 March 2025, the Staff Association (SA) was pleased to host its traditional Staff Association Ambassadors' Cocktail.

This event, held twice a year in March and September following the Finance Committee, is a unique opportunity to gather in an informal setting the delegates of the Member States and Associate Member States, along with colleagues designated by the Staff Association to represent it: “the SA Ambassadors”.

These gatherings go beyond casual conversation; they provide an opportunity to:

• Engage in discussions on key topics relevant to the Staff Association;
• Have broader conversations about the future of CERN and its personnel;
• Listen to and understand the perspectives and concerns of the delegations.

This edition featured lively discussions on two main topics: The underrepresentation of certain Member States in CERN’s personnel; the future of CERN at a time when LS3, the commissioning of HL-LHC, and decisions concerning a future project for the CERN are on the horizon. With the five-yearly review (5YR) to begin this fall.

The Staff Association warmly thanks all the participants—delegates from 26 delegations representing both Member and Associate Member States, totaling 146 attendees—as well as our SA Ambassadors. Their commitment is the key to the success of these meetings.

We also extend our gratitude to the logistics and catering teams, the Association’s secretariat for organising the event, and the Council Secretariat for forwarding the invitations to the delegations.

We look forward to welcoming the delegations and ambassadors again next September for another engaging cocktail!